


Any Way the Wind Blows

by admirabletragedy



Series: I Shall Not Live in Vain [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Gryffindor Luke Skywalker, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Rivalry, Gryffindor/Slytherin Inter-House Relationships, Luke and Leia are raised by Padmé and Anakin, M/M, Slow Burn, Slytherin Ezra Bridger, tags to be added as the story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:07:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25857142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/admirabletragedy/pseuds/admirabletragedy
Summary: Ezra returned to Hogwarts hoping for a normal year.Of course that was too much to ask for, wasn’t it?With new arrivals at Hogwarts, mountains of drama, and newly discovered mysteries around each corner, Ezra’s fifth year is bound to be an interesting one.
Relationships: Ezra Bridger/Luke Skywalker, Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla
Series: I Shall Not Live in Vain [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1876312
Comments: 12
Kudos: 15





	Any Way the Wind Blows

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AlwaysandAlso](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlwaysandAlso/gifts), [Toomanyfandoms99](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toomanyfandoms99/gifts).



> • Happy birthday, Bee! I hope you have an amazing day ♥️  
> • Title of the series is from a poem written by the incredible Emily Dickinson  
> • Title of the work is from the song of the same name in the play “Hadestown”  
> • Title of the chapter is from “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals  
> • I'm not British! Other than the bits and pieces I might've picked up from my South African parents, I'm going to be writing in American English with some British slang

Ezra yawns as he stretches his legs, uttering a soft apology for jostling Moreena, who's napping with her head on his shoulder.

The compartment is silent, peaceful, as they near Hogwarts. Jai, sitting on Ezra's left, is breathing softly as he lies half on top of the table, the sleeves of his oversized hoodie cushioning his criss-crossed arms. His brown-haired friend is leaning against the window, feet curled up close to Ezra, a comforting touch against his leg. 

The two others in the compartment — Zare, sitting across from him, and Sabine sitting diagonal — are both leaning against the walls, their legs tangled as they read. 

Ezra watches as Zare flips a page in his book, dark eyes scanning the text, mocha skin set aglow by the sunlight streaming in through the window. 

Sabine hasn't changed much, still as recognizable as ever, but the streaks of color in her fringe and the way she taps her fingers against her book as she reads are noticeable changes from the person she was last year.

A ray of sunlight reflecting against Moreena’s fiery-red hair distracts Ezra from his observations. She'd cut a lot of it off this summer, and now it's cropped short — longer than Zare’s buzzcut and Jai's short fringe but shorter than Ezra’s hair, which reaches past his ears — the color however, remains the same.

Moreena shifts, her feet bumping against the compartment’s door, and Ezra finds himself unconsciously closing his eyes. He feels safe here — with his friends — and he's dearly missed their presence and their touch.

It's moments like this — sitting in the warm sunlight-filled compartment, surrounded by people he not only loves but _trusts_ — that he feels truly at home.

He tilts his head atop Moreena’s, letting the warmth of the compartment lull him to sleep.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Ezra startles as he wakes up, tensing and relaxing as he blinks awake. 

Moreena's leaning over him, a knee on the booth seat and a hand on the table steadying her as she balances a hand on Ezra’s shoulder.

Seeing that he's awake she moves backwards and straightens up, feet firm on the floor, “Rise and shine, sleepyhead, we’re almost at school.”

Ezra sighs, rubbing his eyes and nudging Jai who's still slumped over the table.

His friend mumbles something indiscernible and Ezra rolls his eyes, over the niceties. Swiping a leg onto the seat, Ezra kicks Jai’s hip. Automatically, Jai kicks back and Ezra huffs out a laugh, “We’re almost at Hogwarts, Jai.”

Jai groans, sitting up, and Ezra turns to Moreena, satisfied now that Jai is awake, “Where’re the others?”

Moreena answers him without even looking, “Changing…” she pauses as she reaches overhead to grab their bags, placing Ezra and Jai’s on the bench before setting hers on the table, “they should be back any minute, really.”

Moreena glances back at the two of them before opening the door, pointing a finger towards Jai, “Make sure he gets up.”

As the door shuts behind her, Ezra stands up, grabbing his robes from his bag and setting them aside.

At Jai’s look he pauses, “Five minutes. Please!”

Ezra rolls his eyes fondly, nodding, “Fine.”

Jai gives him a tired grin before hiding his head in his arms, leaning against the table. Paying him no mind, Ezra pulls his shirt off, replacing it with the standard Hogwarts button-up and tie. He pulls his robes over his shoulders next, before replacing his jeans with the required dress pants. 

It's only after Ezra's shoved his clothes into his bag that he reaches over and shakes Jai’s shoulder.

His friend grumbles, scooting to the edge of the bench and stretching before standing up. Ezra takes his place — bag in his lap — as Jai leaves the compartment, still half-asleep and clutching onto the bag he'd brought on the train.

Idly messing with the ribbon tied to the strap of his messenger bag, Ezra looks out the window. It's dark out — the sun must have set while Ezra was sleeping —and he can only see a blur of trees. It's oddly peaceful.

Ezra is torn from his thoughts by laughter echoing through the train’s corridor. He rolls his eyes; annoyed by the disruption to the ambience.

They were sitting in the mostly-Slytherin area of the train, meaning that the area was usually quiet, but sometimes others would walk through. Unfortunately.

“Can we help you?” Sabine's voice - muffled through the closed door - caught his attention. Even without hearing her clearly, Ezra could tell her words were dripping with disdain.

“Not particularly.” The answer was spoken in a low voice and it was followed by receding footsteps.

Sabine scoffed as she opened the door, Zare trailing in after her, “Merlin’s tits we haven't even reached Hogwarts yet and the Gryffindors are already getting on my nerves.”

Ezra raised an eyebrow, “They’re Gryffindors, what did you expect?”

Sabine groaned, dramatically tilting her head back to face the ceiling and Zare rolled his eyes, pushing her into the booth.

The Ravenclaw scowled at Zare but said nothing as he slumped down next to her, face in hands, “I just want to sleep.”

“You shouldn't have read all that time then, smartass.” 

Zare threw a glare at Moreena as she stepped into the compartment, evidently having heard his comment.

She feigned ignorance, stepping toward Ezra and flopping down next to him, “I wanna braid your hair, can I?”

Ezra shrugged but turned around anyway, facing the window with his knees pulled to his chest.

Moreena's hands were cold as she ran her fingers through his hair before parting it, and Ezra found himself relaxing more with every passing second.

“Who was it, anyway?” Ezra - who’d glanced over at Sabine - rolled his eyes at Moreena’s reprimanding flick but turned his head back to the window. He felt a bobby pin being placed in his hair.

“Darklighter and his usual lackeys.”

Ezra couldn't help but tense at Zare’s reply. He wasn't a friend of Darklighter’s, and that was putting it lightly.

Minutes passed by - no one daring to break the silence - before Moreena tapped his shoulder, signalling she'd finished. He ran a hand along the braid, grinning at her in thanks.

“It's a French Braid.” Moreena answered before he could ask.

Sabine nodded her approval towards the two Slytherins, “It looks good.”

The door opened abruptly, all of them turning to see who'd entered.

It was Jai, muttering angrily as he sat down beside Zare, “Skywalker’s out stalking the corridors.”

Zare arched a brow, “Which?”

“Little Miss Royal.”

Sabine clucked her tongue, “Han won't be too pleased with that.”

Ezra huffed out a laugh, “Like she'd care.”

Moreena nodded enthusiastically, “He’s got a point, y'know. I'm pretty sure she'd be able to stare down a dementor.”

The train whistled, ending the conversation as abruptly as it began, and the group began sorting out their things in preparation to leave the compartment.

* * *

Han wasn’t pleased at all.

Skywalker looked as annoyed as ever, her Ravenclaw prefect badge on full display, shining under the lamplight. She also maintained her signature braid - one that formed a faux-crown on her head - Ezra noticed, biting back a grimace.

Han looked just as, if not more than, displeased as Skywalker. Ezra couldn't help but grin as he passed his Slytherin friend who was, unsurprisingly, standing his ground and glaring right back at the source of his disdain.

He didn't intervene - seeing that Chewie was standing alongside Han - instead following his friends as they walked through the crowd outside of the train and neared an empty carriage.

While the others climbed on up, Ezra paused for a moment, stroking the thestral closest to him. It neighed, clearly pleased by the attention, and Ezra smiled. 

“Thank you for taking us to the castle.” The creature seemed to understand, moving its head as though imitating a nod.

With one last pet, Ezra scrambled onto the carriage, taking a seat next to Sabine. 

On Sabine's left sat Jai, who leant against the carriage’s side, one elbow on the ledge. Across from Jai sat Zare and across from Sabine sat Moreena.

There was only one seat open, across from Ezra and next to Moreena, but it was rare for anyone to sit there.

Rare, but not impossible, Ezra noted, as a girl moved to the entrance of their carriage.

Strangely enough, he’d never seen her around school.

She was pretty, there was no denying it, with big eyes and a complexion similar to Sabine’s.

“Can I sit with you guys?” She paused, pushing her hair back with one hand, “I'm new, I transferred from Ilvermorny.”

Ezra raised an eyebrow, intrigued from the moment he’d heard her unusual accent. It was incredibly rare for Hogwarts to receive transfers, especially students from higher years.

“C’mon in.” Moreena smiled, tapping the seat next to her.

The girl entered quickly and sat down, “Thank you! My name’s Paige, by the way.”

Moreena gestured to each of them in turn, introducing the group to Paige.

By the time they'd all been introduced, the Thestrals began to pull the carriages, starting their journey to the castle.

“Do you know what house you're going to be in?” Sabine asked Paige, ever-curious.

Paige nodded, “I was sorted last week, I’m in Hufflepuff.”

Moreena grinned, “You're in Jai's house,” Jai waved awkwardly and Paige returned the gesture with a relieved smile.

Ezra spoke up for the first time, pointing to Zare, Moreena, and then himself, “We’re Slytherins.” He gestured to Sabine next, “And Sabine's a Ravenclaw.”

He sent Paige a soft smile, “If you ever have a question about Hogwarts, feel free to ask any of us!”

“Thank you,” she paused, pushing her hair behind her ear, “I might need help figuring out where classes are.”

Zare nodded, “You're a fifth year, right?”

“Yeah.”

“We are too. We should all be getting schedules tomorrow, we can compare classes then.”

Paige seemed to relax, and Ezra was glad, he knew what it was like to feel out of place and was grateful for the opportunity to make Paige feel welcomed.

Their conversation from them on came naturally and it didn't take long before they'd reached the castle and had to separate at the doors of the Great Hall.

Paige, walking beside Jai, waved goodbye to Ezra, Moreena, and Zare as he guided her to the Hufflepuff table. They waved back. Glancing around the room, he couldn't spot Sabine, who had left to find her brother as soon as they'd stepped off the carriage. He frowned, pushing down his worry, deeming it unnecessary in the here and now.

He followed quietly behind Zare as led them to the far right of the Slytherin table; thankfully far away from Oleg at the Gryffindor table, who was open about how much he despised Ezra and Moreena.

Oleg was a pure-blood, a fact that he loved shoving down everybody else's throats. Unfortunately, he also loved putting others in “their place.”

Others meaning half-bloods like Ezra, Muggle-borns like Moreena, and so-called blood-traitor pure-bloods like Zare and his seventh year sister, Dhara.

That wasn't even mentioning how homophobic the idiot was, putting others down as though it was his full time job.

Lost in his thoughts, Ezra only noticed they'd reached the table when beside him, Moreena moved forward and sat down. He swiftly followed suit, Zare settling down on his right.

Next to Zare, Dhara leaned forward, forcing her brother to lean back, hands gripping the table to keep from tipping over. She grinned at Moreena and Ezra, waving her hand at them. 

Ezra smiled and waved back. Dhara had always been kind to him; last year she'd even tutored him in Potions. The now-seventh year was especially studious - Zare had mentioned that she'd almost been placed in Ravenclaw - so she said she didn't mind, but Ezra knew she'd still gone out of her way to help him raise his grade.

Ezra's attention was drawn away from Dhara by angry grumbling coming from before him. 

Han, figures.

The brown-haired sixth year sat down with a grimace, Chewie sitting next to him and across from Ezra. 

Ezra raised a brow at Chewie who merely shook his head and threw an exasperated look at Han, signing a threat of bodily harm to his friend if he didn't shut up about Skywalker.

Ezra couldn't help but laugh as Han, without skipping a beat, began to sign right back at Chewie.

His laughter slowed before being replaced by a smile. Han and Chewie had always been kind to him, looking out for him when no one else even cared to notice. Their friendship had really developed upon the brown-haired duo realizing that Ezra could interpret their signing. While rusty after a few years of not practicing, Ezra had grown up fluid in sign language as his mother was hard of hearing. It had taken him a while but by now he could once again sign without a second thought. If nothing else, seeing his deaf friend’s face light up with glee at having someone else to sign with was well worth the extra practice time. 

The clinking of cutlery against glass prompted the students to quiet; voices fading away until Headmaster Dumbledore stood before them, and began to speak.

Ezra turned in his seat - facing the front of the room - and rested his chin on his fisted hand as he listened.

The man’s speech was the same as usual, a mix of philosophies, warnings, and welcomes. Ezra finds himself zoning out.

That's his first mistake. A flash of light from a distant memory sweeps across his vision and he blinks away the brightness and focuses his attention on something - anything - else.

His right hand twists the charm on his necklace, a nervous habit, as he brings his gaze to the head table, spotting Hera and Kanan on the far left. He lets himself relax when he sees they look at ease with their surroundings. The two are watching Dumbledore speak.

Hera teaches flying lessons at Hogwarts and referees Quidditch games. Kanan, her fiancé, teaches Care of Magical Creatures. They were also Ezra's adoptive parents as of two years ago. He was immensely grateful for them.

They had taken him in when no one else would; not that his friends hadn't tried, of course, but they were just kids.

For a moment, he thinks Hera meets his eye, her dark, green-tinted hair tied into twin braids that rest on her shoulders and her smile warm, but as soon as he sees it, it's gone. Kanan, sitting next to her, must've said something to distract her because they're both smiling. Ezra can't help but grin at the scene. They'd both overcome a lot and they meant the world to him.

Time seemed to pass quickly after Dumbledore finished his speech, as it always did, and before long he found himself following the other Slytherins out of the hall. 

He'd just reached the doors when he felt a hand grab onto his arm. He turned on his heel, only to come face-to-face with Sabine. He sends her a questioning look but she only shakes her head, guiding him to the side of the hall and casting a Muffliato Charm to keep their exchange private. 

Ezra leant against the wall, waiting for her to explain what was going on. 

“I sat close enough to the Princess to be able to hear what she was discussing. You won't believe what she said!”

Ezra arched a brow, “Try me.”

“Luke's back.” 

Well if she didn't have Ezra's full attention before, she did now.

“Luke Skywalker?”

Sabine nodded, somewhat miffed by the disbelief in Ezra's tone, “Duh, who else?”

“I thought he'd left for good?”

Sabine shrugged, “so did I.”

“Did she say anything else?” 

Sabine shook her head, her side bangs slipping free from the bobby pins she'd used to secure them. She fixed her hair as she replied, “Not that I heard; I'll keep an ear out for any more information though.”

Ezra pushed off the wall in lieu of replying, waving his wand to dissipate Sabine's charm.

The crowd from the hall had all but disappeared, only a few stragglers remaining.

Sabine sighed, “I should probably go now.”

Ezra nodded, moving forward to give her a quick hug before taking a step back, “Sabine?”

Her eyebrows furrowed as she turned back to face him.

“Be careful.”

Sabine nodded, gaze steely, before giving him a reassuring smile, “I will be, Ezra. Don't worry.”

He smiled back at his friend before turning on his heel and starting his walk back to the dungeons.

Despite Sabine's assertion that she would be okay, Ezra couldn't help but feel a seed of concern grow in his chest, feeding the anxiety reawakened by their conversation. It's not that he didn't trust Sabine; on the contrary, he knew she was more than capable of defending herself, should the need arise. No, it was Leia and Luke that he distrusted; it was the fact that he undoubtedly knew Sabine was going to be on the lookout for information. It was the fact that she may not be aware of what she was getting herself into.

All too soon, Ezra found himself at the entrance to the Slytherin common room, where he was greeted by Moreena.

She raised an eyebrow at his confused look, “How exactly were you planning to enter, Ezra?”

Merlin, he'd been so caught up in listening to Sabine's news that he hadn't even thought of how he'd get into his house without knowing the Slytherin password. He felt like slapping his palm against his head.

Instead, he sent Moreena a sheepish grin, “Good thing you're here, right?”

Moreena rolled her eyes, “Uh huh, and you'd do best to remember it, Bridger.”

She turned, whispering “ _Fides_ ” at the stone wall.

The previously bare stretch of wall gave way to a passage, and despite seeing it more than a hundred times before, Ezra was still mesmerized by the rocks as they moved to make way for a staircase.

Moreena gestured for him to hurry up, half-illuminated by the lamps adorning the stairwell and Ezra moved to catch up with her, hearing the stones move back to the way they were before, once more disguising the common room entrance.

“She's the Roman Goddess of trust.”

Ezra startled, “What?”

Moreena scoffed fondly, “The password, Fides.”

“Oh.”

The closer they got to the common room, the more the staircase was bathed in a soft green-blue light, and Ezra smiled as they reached his home.

It really is home, he thinks, looking around at the clusters of students scattered throughout the room and at the warm fire that had been lit.

Most of all, Ezra loved the windows in which they could have a clear view of the Great Lake. It was calm, peaceful, and above-all, comforting. A few times, Ezra has even caught a glimpse of the Giant Squid that dwelled in the lake’s waters, its eyes as big as the circular windows in their dorms! 

Moreena’s soft laughter broke him out of his drifting thoughts, “You look around every year like it's the first time you've laid eyes on the place.”

Ezra grinned, “You know I love it here.”

“Yeah.” Moreena’s smile was fond and Ezra was brought back to their first journey here as first years.

His red-haired friend placed a gentle hand on his shoulder before pulling him into a hug, “I'm gonna go back to my dorm.”

She pulled back, glancing at Ezra with thinly veiled concern, “Please try and get some sleep too.”

He rolled his eyes, saluting her, “Yes, ma’am.”

She sent him a pleased smile before turning back and crossing the common room to reach her dorm.

Ezra wasn't sure how long he spent looking out the window and into the lake but when he walked to his dorm, few people remained in the previously populated room.

Thankfully, Ezra noted, the others had already closed the curtains around their beds. He didn't mind the people he roomed with, he was close to Zare and he was on good terms with the few others. Honestly, he just wasn't in the mood for talking. 

It wasn't until he moved closer to his bed that he noticed the cats stretched out on it, making themselves at home on the green duvet. He grinned at the sight before opening his trunk, rearranging his outfits and hanging up his robes. 

He paused as he held up a photo of his parents and him, from when he was young, before placing the frame onto his bedside table. Next to it he placed the other picture frame he'd brought, one that held a group photo of him and his friends. The moving picture had been taken mid-laugh, Sabine throwing her head back in laughter and pushing Ezra from where they sat on a picnic blanket with Moreena, Jai, and Zare, who were all laughing at his expense. Ezra couldn't help but grin whenever it caught his eye.

Satisfied with his environment, he moved to the bathroom to clean up and change before flopping down onto his bed, carefully avoiding the snoozing animals lying there.

The two cats startled before moving to curl up around him.

Magpie, his black cat stood up, arching her back before stretching out, her back against his arm; the warmth she radiated was a comfort. Ezra had known Magpie for a few years now and the small cat with white boots and no tail had worked her way into his heart. Chess, a soft-furred tortoiseshell cat - who really belonged to Hera and Kanan but spent most of her time with Ezra - remained in the middle of the bed, curled up by Ezra's waist.

He smiled, giving both a soft pet before using his wand to cast a Nox in the direction of his lit bedside lamp.

The alcove provided by his pulled curtains established a calm atmosphere, the darkness kept at bay by the small fairy light Ezra had placed on the headrest of his bed.

Casting one last spell - a silencing charm - with a practiced ease, Ezra placed his wand down on the table and sighed, closing his eyes. 

It would no doubt be a long year, with O.W.L.s,

choosing careers, and Quidditch, but Ezra wasn't afraid of the workload. 

He fell asleep quickly, feeling an ache leave his bones now that he was back at Hogwarts. Back at home.

**Author's Note:**

> • Magpie is based off of a cat I knew well, named Boots, who belonged to one of my close friends; Chess is based on another cat I love dearly, named London. I practically grew up with him, even though he was my neighbor's cat. I felt it was right to give them both a place in this story.  
> • Also fun fact: my patronus is a magpie! It's the same patronus that Fred and George have! I figured I'd add that into the story somehow.


End file.
